Gabriel said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you…”Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God” (Luke 1:28, 30). As Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord to save God’s creation, so also Mary found favor before the Lord in order for her Son to reclaim creation and thus save the world. We have found favor/grace, not as an end within itself, but to participate in the great salvation story of rescue and recovery.
